Cherry Blossom Viewing (Hanami)
Spring in Japan


Picnic during spring

  
It's a good time to visit Japan during the spring. There will be cherry blossom viewing parties (hanami) held under the cherry trees all over Japan. Hanami has been a Japanese custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed looking at the cherry blossoms and wrote poems.
People drink, eat, and sing during the day and night. It is like a picnic. People bring food, do BBQ, or buy food from vendors. Among various food people eat in hanami, dango is very common. It is a chewy snack made of rice flour. Japanese people love hanami and have lots of fun.
In Tokyo, there are a few parks that are famous for hanami (Ueno park and Yoyoki park). If you do not like a crowd, you can go to mountains or other quiet places for hanami. There are cherry trees everywhere in Japan. The best time to visit Kyoto is during spring. Kyoto's historical sites are famous for their cherry trees. Many tourists like to visit Kyoto for hanami.
Sakura (cherry blossom) is the national flower of Japan, and there are over four hundred varieties of cherry trees in Japan. Sakura is different from the cherry of other countries. The Japanese cherry tree does not yield fruit like other cherry trees. The cherry blossoms bloom at different times throughout Japan. The cherry blossoms begin blooming in January in Okinawa, and they are at their peak in late March to April in Honshu region. In Hokkaido, sakura become in their peak in late May.